Kansas Renewable Energy Standard (RES)

The Renewable Energy Standards Act (RESA) (K.S.A. 66-1256, 66-1257, and 66-1259) establishes a statewide renewable energy standard for Kansas. The renewable energy standard for Kansas is a voluntary goal that 20% of a utility's peak demand within the state be generated from renewable energy resources by the year 2020.

Eligible renewable energy resources include:

wind;

solar thermal sources;

photovoltaic cells and panels (PV);

dedicated crops grown for energy production;

cellulosic agricultural residues;

plant residues;

methane from landfills or wastewater treatment;

clean and untreated wood products such as pallets;

existing and new hydropower;

fuel cells using hydrogen produced by one of the above-named renewable energy resources; and

energy storage that is connected to any renewable generation by means of energy storage equipment including, but not limited to, batteries, fly wheels, compressed air storage and pumped hydro.

The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC or Commission) has established rules and regulations to administer the portfolio standard (K.A.R. 82-16-1 et seq.).

K.A.R. 82-16-2 establishes reporting rules for the utilities. Each utility planning to seek Commission approval for recovery of reasonable costs incurred under RESA that are either related to the previous mandatory requirement or due to attaining the renewable energy goal, shall submit a report to the commission (annually by March 31) detailing that utility’s efforts related to attainment of the renewable energy goal.

To prevent double counting and misuse, RECs are used to track compliance with the Renewable Energy Standard. As defined in 82-16-1(l), REC means a credit representing energy produced by renewable energy resources and issued as part of a program that has been approved by the Commission—currently the North American Renewables Registry (NAR). For purposes of K.A.R. 82-16-1 et seq., a REC is reflected on a certificate representing the attributes associated with one megawatt hour (MWh) of energy generated by a renewable energy resource.